Tips from Capital Region illumination illuminati

Light Up Your Life

By Laurie Lynn Fischer/Life@Home

The problem: When we watch films, we like our living room dark, like a true home theater. But often, I’m using my laptop while others are viewing, and if there’s not enough light … well, I’m not happy.

My solution: An antique standing lamp. The lacy brass shade lets just enough light through so I can see the keyboard without wrecking everyone’s cinematic experience.

What’s the right light for your living or family room? Versatility is vital if you want a multipurpose setting for throwing an intimate dinner party, knitting or playing Wii. Here are some illuminating tips from local lighting experts.

Whenever you expect to be outdoors in changeable weather, your best bet is to wear layers. The same is true of indoor light, says Paul Soroko, a salesperson with Wolberg Lighting Design & Electrical Supply in Saratoga Springs. “There are all different layers of light,” he says.

Accent lighting can range from a picture light mounted on framed artwork to a wall lamp highlighting your fireplace, he says. Task lighting provides more intense light within a limited area, such as a table lamp for reading, he says.

General lighting could be a ceiling fixture, a fan-light combination or recessed ceiling lighting that works “like an adjustable eyeball” so “you can angle it where you want the light to specifically hit,” Soroko says. Ambient lighting sets the mood with “a nice, soft glow,” he says.

Snyder has been leading a project to update the Lighting Research Center’s home lighting pattern book to include new technology and be more accessible to the public. This spring, it should be available through LRC’s website (lrc.rpi.edu). Aimed at homeowners and contractors, the NYSERDA sponsored guide offers alternatives for every room of the house.

“We’re giving options based upon how much work people want to put in,” Snyder says. “Do they want to put in a new bulb or table lamp, do rewiring or hire an electrician, or are they building a new home or doing remodeling?”

Fluorescent lighting is an energy-efficient, cost-effective way of providing ambient lighting, and thanks to modern technology, it’s not glary or buzzy the way fluorescent lamps used to be, says architect Russ Leslie, associate director of the Lighting Research Center.

“We use this in high-end homes,” he says. “I build it into the architecture where I want to hide the light source and I don’t care about seeing the fixture. It emits light in all directions. The clients are delighted with the results. In my own living room, I have linear fluorescent tubes along a long wall. I also have two accent lights that light up wall hangings. If we have company in the evening, I’ll turn those on and one that shines on the ceiling for a gentle glow. When my wife does sewing and fine needlework, if we don’t’ want to light the whole room and she needs a little extra, she uses a stained-glass pendant light that hangs over her chair. By providing a number of options, you set the scene that’s appropriate for the tasks you want to do and for the things that you want to see.”

Candle power

If you like candlelight, make sure it’s not the only light source, Leslie says. “It’s inefficient, but it’s a nice thing to do for ambience,” he says. “I can imagine having some candles in a number of places around the room for special occasion lighting — hanging from a chandelier, mounted onto the wall or sitting on a table.”

“I like light, but I want to be able to control it,” Scarlata says. “Whether you have a chandelier or an overhead ceiling light with a fan, I would always recommend that it be put on a dimmer, so the lighting can be adjusted to what you need. It can be mood lighting if you’re having a formal dinner or you can make it as bright as you want.”

Scarlata offers other ways of keeping your options open. “Customers like lamps with three-way bulbs in them so they can have low, medium and high,” she says. If there are two or three bulbs in a lamp, you can turn one, two or three on to control your lighting.”

Choose a paler lampshade to maximize how much light your lamp sheds, she says.

Made in the shade

There’s nothing like natural daylight to brighten your interior and keep houseplants thriving, but the last thing you want is glare from direct sunlight on your television or computer screen. Window treatments can provide the flexibility you need, says Mary Lentini, design consultant with Comfortex Window Fashions in Latham.

“You can adjust the light play with a cellular shade that’s top down, bottom up,” she says. “I like the lower half covered for the sake of privacy, and so you can adjust the amount of sun coming in. I love the view through the top and the insulating value. It has a honeycombed construction. Air gets trapped in the single or double cell. A double honeycomb is twice as energy efficient.”